Familiar Residents
by Serena Valentine
Summary: Two years after the Horror at Raccoon City, STARS members win a free weekend at the Grand Opening at a hotel. This Grand Opening surely isn't what they expected, when they find that old friends are residing there. This is the first fan fic that I wrote.


I do not own the characters in this story. They are owned and copywrited by Capcom.  
  
A tall middle-aged blonde man with dark sunglasses walked into a neatly kept office. It was very dim, little sunlight shone through the window. On the desk was a gold plated sign that read Lt. Mikhail Victor. A forty- seven year-old Russian man was seated at the desk he had just finished typing something on his computer.  
  
"Mikhail, have you finished the little invitations?" asked the blonde man standing a few feet from the door.  
  
"Yes, Captain Wesker. I have them right here." He answered holding envelopes up in his right hand.  
  
"Good!" nodded Albert Wesker. "Have Carlos mail them out."  
  
  
  
In a town, which had been destroyed a little over two years ago, everything was now back to normal in Raccoon City. It was early evening. Claire Redfield had just got home from a hard days work at the Raccoon City Police Department and was checking the mailbox. At the same time, her brother Chris pulled up in the driveway with their fourteen year old friend, Sherry Birkin.  
  
"Hi Claire!" Sherry called as she ran out of Chris' silver Lexus and up the steps of their nice suburban home.  
  
Claire was standing on the porch holding the mail. " Hey, Sherry!" she smiled at her young friend. "How was school?"  
  
"Great, but I need you to help me with my Algebra homework."  
  
"Hey Sis!" Chris Redfield smiled at his sister as he walked up the steps.  
  
"Thanks for picking up Sherry. I had to stay at the office and finish up some work." Claire said to Chris.  
  
"No problem." Answered the muscular twenty seven year old standing on the porch next to his sister. He was glad that she was working with him at the R.P.D. It was what she really wanted to do ever since he had joined S.T.A.R.S. She had a great sense of adventure, which made her qualified for their line of work. Chris noticed the bunch of envelopes that she held in her hand. "Any mail for me?"  
  
"Just bills and stuff." Claire said flipping through the mail. A green envelope caught her eye. "Here's something." She handed the envelope to Chris.  
  
Chris opened it up inside was a letter that read:  
  
  
  
Congratulations, Mr. Redfield!  
  
You have been selected as one of our Grand  
  
Prize Winners. You and three other guests  
  
will spend a weekend free at the Trebla Hotel  
  
and Resort in Pine Grove.  
  
"Hey, cool!" shouted Sherry with excitement. " I wanna go."  
  
Claire was looking at a brochure that was included. "Wow! Look at the size of the pool!"  
  
Chris stood looking at the letter puzzled. "I don't know. This might be some kind of scam. I don't remember entering any contests."  
  
"They probably got your name from a magazine or the phone book, or maybe some other contest you entered." Claire reassured her brother. " It says here this place just opened up, this weekend is the grand opening," She said still holding the brochure. "It looks like a really nice place, and besides wouldn't you like to get away for a weekend?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chris agreed. "And besides, I've been looking for an excuse to spend a weekend with Jill!"  
  
  
  
The next day, Claire and Chris were in the Cafeteria at the R.P.D. They usually took a coffee break at the same time. An attractive brunette in her mid twenties was sitting there with them.  
  
"Jill, I can't believe you won too!" Chris exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah," Jill smiled, " It's weird isn't it?"  
  
Chris smiled. Great, now him and Jill will get to become a little closer this weekend. Since she got her own invitation, he didn't have to worry about how to ask her to come. But , this left him with an extra invitation. Chris looked over to notice his sister staring at Officer Leon S. Kennedy, he was a good friend of theirs, he usually sat with them too, he was over getting a cup of coffee. Chris turned to his sister. "This gives you the chance to invite Leon." Claire shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"C'mon, Claire!" Argued Chris. "I saw you staring at him just now. And the guy's definitely got the hots for you too."  
  
"Chris!" She hollered back. " I wasn't staring at him." She paused thinking of what to say next. "Leon and I are just really good friends."  
  
" All the more reason for you to invite him." Chris pointed out. "Ever since we got back from Antarctica, It seemed like you didn't want to get close to anyone." Chris rattled on. As he did so, Claire went back to staring at her friend Leon. He had wavy blond hair that just fell down to his gray-blue eyes. He was a great guy inside, too. He was a nice person, He got along great with Claire, and Chris. He looked out for her a lot, too. "So how about it, Claire?"  
  
Claire turned to her brother and rolled her eyes, "Alright, Chris. You win. I'll ask him to come."  
  
"Perfect!" Chris smiled.  
  
  
  
Albert Wesker walked down the hall of their secret office building.  
  
"Captain Wesker!" Mikhail called out as he walked down the hall to catch up with him. "I just got off the phone with Chris Redfield. He and three other guests will be arriving Friday evening around seven." Only one RSVP left.  
  
"Have you heard anything from Miss Chambers?" asked Albert.  
  
"She will be arriving around six."  
  
"Excellent." Weskers red eyes lit up as he produced a devious smile. "Everything is going according to plan."  
  
  
  
The sun was just beginning to set. Rebecca Chambers stepped out of her green Buick. She looked up at the hotel. At least it was a nice place. Nothing too fancy, but then again it wasn't shabby either. She needed a vacation. S.T.A.R.S had her going through hell. At leas the worst of it was over.  
  
"Miss Chambers!" Called a familiar voice.  
  
Rebecca slowly turned around. "Captain Wesker? You're still alive?"  
  
Wesker walked up and slowly raised his gun to her. "But you won't be for long, unless you cooperate with me."  
  
  
  
Barry Burton, the new leader of the S.T.A.R.S. team, parked across the street from the hotel. There was a big red sign that read Trebla. As he stepped out of the car, he saw his partners Chris, his second in command, and Jill, along with Leon, Claire, and Sherry. "Chris, Jill, What are you guys doing here?"  
  
Jill turned around to face Barry. "Chris and I both won a free weekend up here. Chris was lucky and was able to bring three guests, so Leon, Sherry, and Claire were able to come to. What about you, Barry?"  
  
"You're not gonna believe this, but I won too. Sadly I wasn't able to bring my wife and daughters." Barry explained. "This is such a coincidence."  
  
"I think Rebecca might be here too. That's her car over there." Chris said as he pointed to her car.  
  
Leon walked over to them. "She might be inside. Lets go!"  
  
The six of them crossed the street and walked into the hotel lobby. There was not much there. Some chairs were against the wall. There were stairs over to the left and there were doors at each of the corners, shielded by darkness. It looked more like a motel, but slightly more elegant.  
  
"It's kinda empty for a Grand Opening." Sherry observed.  
  
Jill walked up to the clerk's desk. There was a computer and a book. A pen sat on top of the book. A bell was off to the side. Jill rang the bell for assistance. She looked down to see a zombie lying behind the desk. He was already dead. "Chris, Barry, look!" she called as she stepped back.  
  
Barry and Chris walked over to Jill, as Claire and Sherry walked over to the window.  
  
"Look at the view." Claire said looking out.  
  
Just then a hunter crept out from the hallway to the left of the window, towards Claire. Leon, who was looking around the room, had turned around to see it. "Claire, watch out!" he called.  
  
Claire turned around as Leon ran up with his pistol drawn. He pushed Claire out of the way, just as the hunter was about to grab her. He started firing at the hunter. After about three shots, the hunter fell and lay dead in a pool of his own blood.  
  
"Are you ok?" Leon asked helping Claire up.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?" Barry said before she could answer.  
  
He, Jill, and Chris were walking towards them.  
  
Just then a door slammed.  
  
"What was that?" asked Jill fearfully.  
  
Barry raised his gun in the direction of the door, unable to see through the darkness.  
  
"Don't shoot." Rebecca stepped into the light.  
  
" Rebecca." Barry let out a sigh of relief. "It's just you."  
  
Jill walked over to them, and directed her attention to the young girl. "We saw your car parked outside and were wondering where you were." What's going on?"  
  
"I don't know. I won a free weekend at this hotel. But when I got here the bellhop was a zombie. I decided to look around and see if there were anymore lurking around." Rebecca explained.  
  
  
  
Alfred Ashford was in Mikhail's office, in their secret headquarters about 25 miles from the hotel. Just then Albert Wesker walked in.  
  
"Everything is going according to plan." He said. "They're all there."  
  
  
  
"And that's when I met up with you guys" Rebecca finished her story.  
  
" So, is there anyone here who is alive?" Sherry asked.  
  
"Yes." An accented voice answered, as a tall Spanish man walked down the steps. "Me."  
  
Everyone turned around to see who was there. A big smile lit up Jill's face.  
  
"Carlos? Is that you?"  
  
His eyes lit up as he looked at her. "Jill? Jill, what are you doing here." He asked, pretending as if he didn't know.  
  
Jill ran over towards him. Barry and Chris slowly followed. "We all won a free weekend at this hotel."  
  
Before Jill could say another word, Chris interrupted. "Jill, who is this guy?"  
  
"Oh," Jill wasn't good with introductions. "This is Carlos, a Mercenary from Umbrella, he helped me out a lot in my escape from the old Raccoon City before it was destroyed. You Remember him, don't you Barry?"  
  
Before Barry could speak, Chris as usual interrupted. "Umbrella?" he asked angrily.  
  
"What's it to you?" Carlos asked defending himself.  
  
"Carlos, this is Chris. He is mine and Barry's partner in S.T.A.R.S." Jill said trying to break up their fight. She turned to Chris. "It's ok. He's on our side."  
  
Chris looked at Barry, who nodded his head. Chris still had an uneasy feeling about this guy. But since Jill and Barry said he was ok, he would give him a chance.  
  
Jill tried to end the awkwardness of the moment by making conversation. "So, Carlos what are you doing up at this hotel? Did you win some kind of Prize too?"  
  
Carlos smiled at Jill. "Actually, some of my buddies and I own it. I came to check things out when I noticed it was intruded by the undead." He pointed to the clerk's zombie. "Looks like some things are still the same in Raccoon."  
  
Jill, Chris, and Barry Looked at each other with thoughts of going home.  
  
"Fortunately, It was just in the staff area. The guest rooms are a separate building. You can go through the parking lot or you can take the bridge upstairs. Trust me you all will be safe." Carlos explained to them. He moved his eyes directly on Jill. Her beauty was unavoidable. "I would like very much for you to stay here."  
  
"Can we stay?" Sherry begged tugging on Claire's arm.  
  
Claire looked at her brother.  
  
"Ok." Chris nodded his head. He really didn't want to, but he was always giving in to what his sister and Sherry wanted, and besides, there was no way he was going to leave Jill here with this guy who worked with Umbrella.  
  
"Great." Carlos exclaimed. "You guys go get your stuff and bring your cars around to the parking lot. The garage door is already open. I will get your keys ready for you."  
  
They all stepped outside. Jill slowly approached her car. Little did she know, a zombie was hiding underneath. As Jill reached into her purse for her keys the zombie looked up at her. She was about to put the key in the door when she screamed.  
  
The zombie had grabbed her leg. She tried to kick him off but it was no use. She reached into her purse for her gun, but lost her balance and fell. Her Beretta fell out as well. As it hit the ground the trigger went off and fired at the zombie, forcing him to let go. Jill then grabbed her Beretta and got up. She fired two more shots at the zombie, killing him once again.  
  
  
  
The crew met back in the lobby. Carlos called them all over to the front desk. "I have your keys. I'll just have to mark down your name and room number". He looked at Leon and Claire who were standing next to each other. " Couple or single?"  
  
There was a moment of awkward silence. "Will you two have a couple room, or do you want single rooms?" He said making himself clearer.  
  
A sheepish look appeared on Leon's face, as with Claire. "Single room." he said.  
  
"Ok." Carlos handed him his key. "Room 103." He took down his name. He then turned his attention to Claire, who was now standing side by side with Sherry.  
  
"Her and I will share a room." Claire informed.  
  
"Room 102." He handed both of them a key and took down their names. He then did the same with Rebecca and Barry. Rebecca was in room 208 and Barry was in room 205.  
  
Jill was about to tell Chris about the zombie when Carlos walked over to them.  
  
"Chris," he began. "You can have room 207." He then looked at Jill. "And Jill.."  
  
"You can put Jill next to my room." Chris suggested.  
  
Carlos smiled at Jill and handed her key to her. " You're in room 308. It's a special suite right next to mine."  
  
Jill blushed. Chris turned red but obviously not for the same reason. Chris was planning on using this vacation as an excuse to get closer to Jill, and now this guy was just going to mess up all his plans.  
  
"Right this way." Carlos said leading them away.  
  
  
  
At the same time a nineteen year-old man on a motorcycle had just entered the city. It was a brand new model, probably of this year. He drove through the city with no particular destination. After a few minutes of wandering his attention was drawn to a big red sign that said Trebla. He then pulled over and parked outside the hotel.  
  
  
  
Carlos was back at the front desk doing some work on the computer and talking to Lt. Mikhail on his cell phone when he heard someone come through the front door. "So, you'll send some help for tomorrow. Ok. Later." He said hanging up the phone. He looked up to see a red haired young man standing a few feet from his desk.  
  
"May I help you?" he asked.  
  
"I'd like to get a room." he announced.  
  
"Do you have a reservation?"  
  
"No. I just got into town and I need a place to stay the night, maybe even a few days. I have something to take care of in Raccoon city. I wont be here long." The boy pleaded.  
  
"You can say that again." Carlos mumbled to himself as he searched for a room on the computer. "Room 108." He said handing the young man his key. "I just need your name."  
  
The boy grabbed his key and looked up. "Burnside, Steve Burnside."  
  
  
  
Chris Redfield awoke to the sunlight beaming in his face. Before he could even open his eyes, there was a knock at the door. He got up in his t-shirt and sweatpants and opened the door to see Rebecca standing there.  
  
"Good morning, Chris!" she smiled. Having just got out of bed, he still looked attractive.  
  
"Good morning Rebecca." Chris groaned, still feeling half asleep.  
  
"I just thought I'd stop by and see if you were going down to breakfast."  
  
"Uh.." Chris started. " Give me a sec."  
  
Rebecca nodded as Chris closed the door and went inside to get dressed.  
  
  
  
When Rebecca and Chris entered the dining hall, Jill, Barry, Leon, Claire, and Sherry were already seated. Carlos was there too, sitting next to Jill, of course. Chris sat down next to Barry. Rebecca sat between Chris and an empty seat.  
  
"Aren't there any other guests?" Jill asked as the waiter was putting the food on the table.  
  
The waiter just shook his head.  
  
Claire noticed the empty space across from Sherry. "But there's an extra plate."  
  
Carlos Oliveira looked up. "Oh, I forgot. A young man checked in late last night shortly after you all went to your rooms. I must have forgot to tell him about breakfast."  
  
  
  
A short while later, Chris, Jill, and Rebecca were gathered with Barry in his room.  
  
"Don't you guys think this is a little odd that S.T.A.R.S. members are the only ones here?" asked Jill.  
  
"But were not." Argued Rebecca. "Some guy checked in late last night."  
  
"Yeah, but he wasn't invited or else he would have arrived when we did." Jill argued back.  
  
"Maybe he just arrived late." Rebecca suggested back. She had to keep her teammates from getting suspicious. As much as she wanted to tell them what was going on, she couldn't. Her life depended on it.  
  
"I think Jill may be on to something." Barry said. "It is a little strange how we all won a free weekend up here, especially since none of us entered any contests."  
  
"Perhaps they got our names from work." Rebecca suggested. "New businesses sometimes go to local companies or offices and get the names of employees and offer them stuff for free. It's a way of doing business."  
  
"Rebecca may have a point." Chris concluded. "But how would you explain the hunter and the zombie?" Chris and the other four friends looked at each other. None of them had the answer.  
  
  
  
Captain Wesker sat at his desk. Next to him was Alfred Ashford, his friend for two years, since they met in Antarctica, and found out they had a common goal, getting rid of those annoying Redfields. "I can't wait to finish off Chris, Jill and Barry once and for all." He said. "Rebecca Chambers is taking care of Chris. And Carlos," he paused and smiled. "That unsuspected fool will deliver Jill right into my hands. Once they fall, the third is sure to follow."  
  
"What about the others?" Alfred asked.  
  
Just then Mikhail Victor walked in. He had met up with Wesker shortly after the explosion of the old Raccoon City. After he managed to escape from the train car before it blew up, Albert Wesker was there, and offered to help him. He owed this man his life. "That little girl is the key. Once you capture her, Ms. Redfield can be lured into a trap. And no doubt that young police officer will try to save her.  
  
"Sherry Birkin had the G-Virus implanted in her." Wesker added.  
  
"If she can be re-infected somehow, she can serve as a great ally."  
  
  
  
"I'll see you later, then." Leon called to Claire as she went into her room. He walked down the hall. It was an outside hallway. Like the ones in the motels that you stayed at when you went down the shore. He stood leaning against the gate looking into the swimming pool. I know she has feelings for me he thought Why does she try to hide them?  
  
Just then, Steve, who just came out of his room, bumped into Leon. "Sorry about that." Steve apologized. "I didn't see you."  
  
"It's ok." Leon called back. He looked at the person who he was talking to. He looked kind of lonely. Leon felt sorry for him. "I was just on my way down to the game room to shoot a game of pool. Would you like to join me?"  
  
Steve looked at him hesitantly. The sun shone on his lonesome face. It's been a long time since he had a friend. "Sure." The sun lit up his green eyes as he smiled.  
  
  
  
Jill, Chris, Rebecca, and Barry walked into the lobby. Once again it was empty.  
  
"We have to find out who this guy is, and if he has any connection to S.T.A.R.S." Barry said.  
  
"And if not, we should warn him that he could be in danger." Jill frowned.  
  
While they were talking, Chris was searching the computer. "There's a lot of weird files in here." He said. Most needed passwords or some kind of access number to open. He came across something with the hotels name on it. "What kind of name is Trebla anyway?" He asked.  
  
"Try Guest List." Rebecca said pointing to the file with that name.  
  
Chris clicked on the file. The top of the page said: Guests/Rooms. "Here's all our name's and room numbers." He announced. He started looking for an unfamiliar name, but what he found was just the opposite. Chris looked at the monitor to see the name Steve Burnside. "It can't be." He whispered. The others looked at him perplexed. "Room 108! That's right across from Claire's room!"  
  
"What's across from my room?" Claire walked into the room. Sherry was with her as always.  
  
Chris looked up. "Uh. uh. The pool." He walked over to his sister and signaled Jill to exit the file.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Claire smiled. "Leon and I are going swimming together tonight."  
  
Chris looked at her nervously. " I don't think that's such a good Idea." He warned.  
  
"And why not?" Claire asked. She knew Chris was keeping something from her, but she didn't know what.  
  
"Well," Chris was trying to think of an excuse. "It might rain tonight."  
  
"It's not supposed to rain 'til Wednesday." Sherry informed.  
  
"Trust me. I'll be fine." Claire said putting her hand on her brother's shoulder. "C'mon Sherry." She turned to her young friend. " See you guys later." She called to Chris and the gang as she and Sherry left the room.  
  
"Chris!" Jill began. " I thought you wanted Claire to hook up with Leon. What happened?"  
  
" Yeah, and what's the deal with that guy? Do you know him or something? Rebecca asked  
  
All eyes were on Chris. "Alright." He started. "It's a long Story."  
  
  
  
The cue ball hit the 3 ball, and tried to knock it into the side pocket, but it missed. Leon stepped back from the pool table. " Go ahead, Steve."  
  
Steve stepped up to the table holding a pool stick. He looked at the cue ball, then at the 9 ball. He bent over and held his stick up to the cue ball. He hit it, knocking the nine ball into a pocket.  
  
"Nice shot." Leon complimented.  
  
"Thanks." Steve grinned. He tried for the 11 ball, but was unsuccessful.  
  
Leon stepped up to the table. He decided to try to make conversation with Steve. "So you here by yourself?"  
  
"Yep." Steve returned. "How about you?"  
  
"No." Leon answered. "I'm here with a friend and her brother."  
  
Steve smiled. "Oh. Just a friend?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess. Kinda hoping we would be more." Leon frowned as he sunk another shot.  
  
"Well," Steve began. Why don't you just tell her how you feel. I'm sure she feels the same way."  
  
Leon stepped back after missing another shot. "I don't know."  
  
Steve bent over the table. He had two striped balls left. "Well, there's only one way to find out." He sank one ball. He was going for the last striped ball. "You have to let her know how you feel when you have the chance." He shot the last striped ball into the pocket. Now all that was left for him was the eight ball. "Or else something could happen and you'll regret not doing something when you had the chance. Trust me!" Steve went for the black ball. Instead, he scratched and the cue ball went down the hole. "Damn it!" He complained.  
  
"Looks like I win." Leon smiled.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Claire asked. She didn't really like the idea of Sherry wandering around this hotel alone.  
  
"Yes." Sherry reassured her. Sherry was a big girl now. She could take care of herself, but Claire still worried about her. " I'll be fine. You go get ready for your date."  
  
Claire smiled. " Here." She gave Sherry a lock pick. Jill always had a few handy. " You might need this."  
  
"Thanks. Time to do some exploring!" Sherry laughed.  
  
  
  
Barry and Chris were at the lobby computer once again.  
  
"Find anything else?" Rebecca asked entering the room.  
  
"Nope." Barry called back. He turned around to look at her. "Where's Jill?" he asked.  
  
"She went somewhere with Carlos." Rebecca walked over to the desk to join them.  
  
"Damn it!" Chris pounded his fist on the desk. Barry and Rebecca looked at him. "You need a password to access most of this information." Chris shook his head. "They probably are hiding something in this place."  
  
  
  
Sherry's exploration brought her to the third floor. "Hm." She looked around the rooms. "eenie, meenie, minie, mo." She said pointing to the doors. She landed on the door marked 305. She tried to open the door but it was locked. Sherry pulled out the lock pick. She then unlocked the door and stepped inside.  
  
It was dark and creepy. She reached for the light switch. It didn't work. Sherry felt a tiny breeze. Unexpectedly the wind blew the door shut. She looked around the room. She noticed the outline of a lamp over in the corner of the room. She slowly walked over to turn it on. As the lamp shone light into the room, a bat flew by. "Ahhhhhhh!" Sherry screamed and backed up against a bookcase. As her body hit it, she felt the bookcase move. "Huh? What's happening?" She asked herself as the bookcase revolved her around into another room. She landed on the cold floor.  
  
"Hello, Sherry!" Greeted an unfamiliar voice. This was the voice of former leader of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team, Albert Wesker. " Don't be afraid. I was a friend of your father."  
  
Sherry knew her father wasn't exactly one of the Good Guys. He had worked with Umbrella to create the G-Virus, a powerful formula, which could transform Ordinary Humans into monstrous biological weapons, if injected.  
  
Sherry was about to scream, when Alfred Ashford came up from behind and hit her on the back of the head with a metal pipe. Sherry fell to the ground and was out cold.  
  
Alfred looked at Wesker and smiled, as Wesker pulled out a needle filled with a purple fluid.  
  
  
  
Claire stepped out her door and noticed Leon Kennedy was already in the pool. She walked over and put her towel on the railing.  
  
Leon looked at her and smiled. "The water feels pretty good."  
  
Claire stepped in and went under. She came back up very quickly, though. " Oh my gosh! It's freezing!"  
  
"Once you get used to it, it feels good." Leon reassured her.  
  
The two of them enjoyed the water as time passed by, splashing, flirting, and talking. Eventually, Leon got out and grabbed the towels. He wrapped his towel around his waist after drying himself off. After Claire got out, he walked over to her. And wrapped her towel around her shoulders so she wouldn't be cold.  
  
"Nothing like a midnight swim." Leon stated.  
  
Claire sat down by the side of the pool. Leon sat down right next to her.  
  
  
  
Steve Burnside just got out of the shower. His towel was wrapped around his waist and his hair wasn't combed yet. He walked over to turn on the TV, when something out the window caught his eye. He moved closer to the window to get a better look. "Claire?" he asked himself, staring out the window.  
  
  
  
"I'm really glad you invited me." Leon said smiling. Claire flashed him a smile in return. "I've been wanting to spend more time with you." He went on.  
  
"Same here." Claire blushed.  
  
Leon sat thinking. He remembered what Steve told him. "Claire," He began.  
  
Claire looked up. He eyes looking deeply at him. The full moon shone brightly on her. She looked so beautiful. This made it hard for him to go on. He didn't want to, but he knew he had to.  
  
"I really like you." He confessed. "And not just as a friend. I was really hoping you would wanna be more."  
  
Claire felt the exact same way. Her heart pounded. Claire Redfield seemed fearless, but there was one thing that she feared - Love. "Leon. I, I" she stuttered. She didn't know exactly what to say. She wasn't good with relationships.  
  
Leon moved closer. He didn't give her time to finish. " I Love you, Claire." He whispered.  
  
The stinging sensation of those words pierced her ears as well as her heart. They were the dying words of Steve Burnside. A boy who she had only known for such a short time but cared so much about. She wanted to get up and run away with something she had been holding onto for such a long time. But at that moment, she let go. As Leon continued to lean closer She leaned in towards him, and the two shared a passionate kiss. Something they had both wanted to do for a long time.  
  
  
  
Steve was all dressed and his hair was combed. He couldn't believe it. He had dreamed of finding her again for the past two years. He planned out getting enough money to come to America, to Raccoon City to look for her. He couldn't wait to see her again. He raced to the door with excitement.  
  
Steve opened the door to see his lost love and his new best friend kissing. His body froze and his heart sunk. Just as Claire had let go of a lost love, little did she know, it had returned.  
  
  
  
Jill Valentine opened her eyes. The wind was blowing in her face. The sun had not yet come up.  
  
Carlos, who was behind the wheel of his Convertible, driving looked at her from the corner of his eye. "So, you're finally awake." He smiled. "Have a nice nap?"  
  
Jill stretched. "Were you driving all night?"  
  
"I took a break here and there. Got a little rest."  
  
Jill looked around. "Where are we?"  
  
"Were only a few blocks from the hotel." Carlos answered. "Thanks for coming with me. It's always good to have someone to drive around with." He was just glad that she didn't ask so many questions. He just told her he had to go to see his friends, the co owners of the hotel. He knew she would probably want to go in with him and meet his friends. Good thing he slipped that drowsy pill into her soda.  
  
Jill smiled. She liked Carlos. She was glad that he was here at this hotel. It made things more interesting. She figured now was a good time to ask him some questions about Trebla.  
  
"Carlos, what are in all those other rooms."  
  
He shook his head. "I don't know. My share isn't as big as the others, so they keep a lot of information from me."  
  
"Who?" Jill asked eagerly  
  
"Mikhail and two of his friends."  
  
"I thought Mikhail was dead?" Jill was confused.  
  
"Apparently not," Carlos returned. "It seems like whenever you think someone is dead they're really not."  
  
As Carlos said that a chill ran down Jill's spine. Something was not right. And she had to find out what.  
  
"Do they work for Umbrella?" She asked.  
  
Carlos was silent for a moment. He then answered, "I don't know."  
  
Just then, Jill heard a beeping sound. She listened closely to try to hear it again.  
  
"What's wrong?" Carlos noticed she was silently still.  
  
"Do you hear that?"  
  
Carlos shook his head.  
  
"It sounds really close." Jill said. She started looking around trying to figure out where it was coming from. Eventually the glove compartment caught her eye. The beeping sound became louder. Jill opened the glove box to see a detonator.  
  
"Carlos! There's a bomb!" she screamed with fright.  
  
Carlos looked over in the glove box. "How the hell?" he asked.  
  
There were 10 seconds until it would explode. Carlos looked, there was no way to remove it from the glove box, not in time, anyway. He pushed the break, but it wouldn't work. "Jill, the break is stuck!"  
  
There were now 5 seconds left. Carlos looked over at Jill. "Were gonna have to jump." Jill nodded her head in agreement. Carlos stood up, Grabbed Jill's hand and helped her up. "Ready?" he asked. She looked at him. "Jump!"  
  
The minute Carlos and Jill jumped out of the moving vehicle, the timer hit 1. A second later, the car exploded into a huge conflagration.  
  
Jill and Carlos landed safely on the ground.  
  
"Jill, are you ok?" Carlos asked  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok."  
  
Carlos stood up and looked back at what was once his car. "Looks like somebody wanted us dead."  
  
  
  
Mikhail walked into Capt. Wesker's office. "Wesker, the bomb just went off." He informed.  
  
"Excellent." Wesker looked up from behind his desk. " One down, two to go."  
  
  
  
Chris and Barry were relaxing in the game room with a game of darts.  
  
"You have to tell her that he's here." Barry urged Chris. "Before her and Leon get too serious."  
  
Barry was right.  
  
Chris threw a dart. It hit the board dead in the center. "Bulls eye!" He smiled.  
  
Just then, Claire walked in the room. "Chris, Barry, have you guys seen Sherry?"  
  
"No." answered Chris. "Why?"  
  
Claire frowned. "She went out exploring early last night and she never came back. I'm really worried about her."  
  
Barry shook his head. " I knew this place was trouble."  
  
"We'll, I'm gonna go find Leon, maybe he's seen her." Claire said. She was about to walk out when Chris stopped her.  
  
"Claire," he called out.  
  
She turned around and looked him.  
  
Chris took a deep breath "About Steve,"  
  
Claire let out a sigh and then smiled. " I know, I know. I have to let go. And I did. I had a wonderful time with Leon last night. I think were a couple now. I realized that even though Steve's gone, he'll always have a place in my heart. I feel like he's here right now."  
  
Chris frowned, not really knowing what to say. He was glad her and Leon hooked up, but he knew he should tell her about Steve anyway. He wouldn't feel right keeping it from her. And besides, she'd probably find out anyway. "But, Claire," he protested " He.."  
  
Before Chris could finish Rebecca burst through the door. "Zombies!" she screamed.  
  
Everyone turned around. "There's zombies out there!"  
  
Chris and Barry grabbed their guns and ran outside. There were at least six zombies. The two men started shooting.  
  
Claire ran out. Zombies started to surround her.  
  
"Claire!" A voice called.  
  
She looked up  
  
"Catch!" Barry yelled tossing her a 22.Wherever he went, Barry brought an assortment of guns with him.  
  
Claire caught the gun and fired at the zombies.  
  
"Ahhhhh!" Rebecca was screaming as the zombies went after her. Just like Claire, Rebecca did not have a gun with her. Wesker had made sure of that. He didn't want to take any chances.  
  
Chris finished off a zombie and looked over to see one grabbing Rebecca. He ran over and fired. The zombie fell back. Rebecca fell forward. Luckily, Chris caught her.  
  
"Thanks Chris." Rebecca blushed.  
  
Barry and Claire walked over.  
  
"You should carry a gun with you at all times!" Barry warned.  
  
"Just then, the game room door started to open. Chris, Claire, and Barry held up their weapons. The door opened.  
  
"Jill, Carlos, What happened to you?" Claire asked as she, Chris, and Barry put their weapons down.  
  
Jill and Carlos stood there covered in dust and bruises.  
  
"Someone put a bomb in Carlos's car." Jill informed.  
  
"What?" Chris asked with fury. "Jill, you could have been killed!"  
  
Jill just frowned at Chris.  
  
" I think we should just get out of here and go home." Barry suggested. He walked over to Carlos. "Carlos, can I have the key to the Parking lot?"  
  
"I don't have it." Carlos confessed. "I gave it to Mikhail last night when I drove up to the main office."  
  
Chris walked over to Carlos and grabbed him by the shirt. "You did what? Just what are you trying to do? You almost got Jill killed, and now you're telling me we're stuck here?"  
  
Jill ran over to Chris. "Chris, let him go! It's not his fault!"  
  
While Jill tried to break up Chris and Carlos, Rebecca, Claire, and Barry just stood there with thoughts of their own.  
  
Barry turned to Claire. "There's something he's not telling us." He whispered. Rebecca overheard Barry's comment. Her stomach tightened, she couldn't help but feel some guilt.  
  
  
  
Leon knocked on Steve's door. There was no answer. The lights were off.  
  
Claire came up behind him. "Leon, what are you doing?"  
  
" Hi Claire!" he turned around. " I just wanted to see if my friend wanted to shoot some pool with me, but I guess he left."  
  
"Leon, have you seen Sherry?" Claire asked nervously. "She never came back last night." She paused. "And what's worse, someone planted a bomb in Carlos' car, trying to kill him and Jill."  
  
" What?" Leon asked with amazement "Something's not right. We have to find sherry and get out of here. Lets split up and look for her."  
  
"Ok." Claire agreed. She and Leon both started running off in separate directions.  
  
"And be careful." Leon warned.  
  
  
  
Steve walked into the lobby wearing his jacket and carrying his bike helmet. He walked up to the front desk and tapped the bell. No one came. He tapped it again, a little harder this time. Still, there was no answer. Steve decided to look for the parking garage key himself. He went behind the desk and started looking, when the computer caught his eye. Steve was a natural born computer whiz. He was able to access files that Chris and the others could not. In his search he came across some familiar names.  
  
"Albert Wesker and," He read aloud to himself "Alfred Ashford!" Steve was shocked. "Well I'll be damned!"  
  
At that moment a chimera dropped from the ceiling. Steve heard a noise and turned around to see the monster staring him in the face. He gasped and stepped back. As the chimera jumped at him, he pulled out a Luger and shot it down.  
  
The monster let out its last scream. Steve shot it again to finish it off. "Dying's a bitch!" he smiled.  
  
  
  
Claire Redfield was on the third floor. She looked around at all the doors. Could Sherry be up here somewhere? Did she accidentally lock herself in one of these rooms? Claire tried to figure what could have happened to her young friend. Suddenly, Claire kicked something. She looked down to see a shiny gold key. Inscribed on the key was the number 305.  
  
Claire looked up at all the numbers on the doors, searching for room 305. She came to the door and put the key in the keyhole. It fit perfectly. She stepped in the room and dropped the key.  
  
Suddenly, a bat flew by. Claire tried to shoot it, but it knocked the gun out of her hand. The bat flew out the door and the gun flew and hit the bookcase over in the side of the room. As pressure hit the bookcase, it turned sideways, leaving a little walkway.  
  
Claire slowly walked over to the bookcase and through the passageway to another room. She looked down to see Sherry lying on the floor.  
  
"Sherry!" Claire called out running over to her. "Sherry, are you ok"  
  
"Claire." Sherry moaned.  
  
"Sherry, what happened?" Claire softened her tone.  
  
"I don't know. I came in here exploring, then someone knocked me out."  
  
"Who?"  
  
Sherry looked sickly at Claire. "He said he was a friend of my father."  
  
"Your father?" Claire was confused. She knew something really bad was going on.  
  
Sherry grabbed her stomach and started to moan. Her body started to shake.  
  
"Sherry! What's the matter?" Claire asked frantically.  
  
"Claire." She wailed.  
  
Blood started squirting out of Sherry's body. Claire stood up and stepped back.  
  
"Sherry!" She screamed with fear. "What's going on?"  
  
Claire watched as her best friend transformed into a monster right before her eyes.  
  
The monster that was once an innocent teenage girl roared with terror.  
  
A shocked Claire stepped back. She had been through this once before. She didn't want to go through the same painful outcome she had gone through in Antarctica with Steve.  
  
The evil Sherry began to realize her newfound power. She started knocking things over and pushing boxes at Claire.  
  
Sherry started walking towards Claire. As she got closer, Claire stepped back. She backed up to where the bookcase was. She fell back into room 305. Claire reached for her gun, but it was nowhere to be found.  
  
Sherry was standing over Claire, about to slash her with her claw when the sound of Uzi's interrupted.  
  
Someone entered and was firing at Sherry. The bullets hit her, causing her to stumble backwards. After a few more hits, she fell to the ground.  
  
Claire's pounding heart had slowed down. Relieved she looked up to see who her rescuer was. To her surprise, it was Steve Burnside.  
  
"Steve!" Claire screamed with joy as she stood up and ran over to him. She threw her arms around him. "Steve, I can't believe it! You're alive! I missed you so much!" Tears of joy began to well up. But Claire, as always, held them back.  
  
"Steve put his arms around her. "I missed you too." He whispered.  
  
"But I thought you were.. How did you."  
  
Steve knew what she was asking. " I don't know. I remember waking up in a hospital somewhere in Paris. I don't know how I got there or anything. All I knew was, I had to go to Raccoon City and find you."  
  
Caught up in the excitement, Claire had forgotten about Leon. As the memory of last night came back to her, a single tear fell from her eye. She cared about Leon, she couldn't just forget about him now that Steve was back. She also didn't want to have to hurt Steve.  
  
"And fate has brought me to this hotel, so I can once again be your knight in shining armor." Steve held up his gun and looked at the unconscious monster.  
  
"Sherry." Claire frowned. She and Steve walked over to her. "It's all my fault!"  
  
"What happened?' Steve looked at her curiously.  
  
"She must have been injected with a virus. She said there was some guy who knew her father."  
  
" Did her father know an Albert Wesker?" Steve asked.  
  
Claire looked at him perplexed. " I think so. Why"  
  
"Because he's here." Steve announced. "Along with Alfred Ashford. I think they own this place or something."  
  
Things were starting to come together.  
  
"So they must be the other guys Carlos was talking about." Claire said. "C'mon!" she started to run to the door. "We have to tell Chris and the others."  
  
As Steve and Claire left the room, Sherry started to open her eyes.  
  
  
  
"It's ok, Rebecca." Chris assured his friend. He and Rebecca were standing on the second floor, enjoying the fresh air.  
  
"But Chris, you saved me from all those zombies, you have to let me do something for you." Rebecca pleaded.  
  
"Ok." Chris gave in. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
" Someone had given me a really expensive bottle of wine as a gift, I was saving it for a special occasion."  
  
Chris just looked at her. Rebecca was always so young and sweetly innocent. Although, he didn't understand why she was making such a big deal over nothing.  
  
"I know how you feel about Jill, but she's really becoming close to Carlos."  
  
Sadly, Rebecca was right. Jill was spending an awful lot of time with him, and she always stood up for him.  
  
Suddenly, it dawned on Chris. Maybe Rebecca had feelings for him.  
  
It was true, Rebecca had saved him many times in the "Mansion Incident" and had been fond of him ever since.  
  
Chris felt bad for her. He knew the feeling of unrequited love. It wouldn't kill him to have a drink with her. "Let's go have that wine." He smiled.  
  
Rebecca and Chris walked to Rebecca's hotel room. She opened the door with her key and they entered. As Chris unsuspectedly stepped into the room, Rebecca hung a sign reading do not disturb on the doorknob.  
  
"Just have a seat, Chris." Rebecca said.  
  
Chris sat down on the bed.  
  
"I'll be right back." She called as she disappeared into the kitchen. So far, so good.  
  
"Good job, Rebecca!" Albert Wesker stepped into view.  
  
Rebecca froze.  
  
Wesker turned her around and lifted up the back of her shirt. A tiny detonator was attached to her back. He took his knife and cut the chords. The useless bomb fell to the ground.  
  
"A deals a deal." Wesker smiled. " You held up you're part. I'm holding up mine."  
  
"Thank you." Rebecca trembled. Before she could move, Wesker put his magnum up to her head.  
  
"Don't try anything funny." He warned. He pointed to a secret door, which he came through. "This will lead you straight to the parking garage. Hurry up and get out of here before I change my mind."  
  
Rebecca nodded her head and left.  
  
Wesker smiled slyly and let out a low laugh as she left.  
  
  
  
Chris was wondering what was taking Rebecca so long. "You ok, Rebecca?" He called in to her as he stood up and started to walk to the kitchen.  
  
To his surprise Albert Wesker stepped out holding his gun up to Chris. "She's fine, buy I can't say the same about you." He laughed.  
  
  
  
Rebecca had opened the door to the parking lot. She was finally out of there. Although she was running towards her freedom, she was not happy. She just left behind her teammates, her friends, the people who had always been there to help her. They would never leave her behind. She wondered how she could do this, but she didn't really have any other choices. This was Albert Wesker she was up against, there was no way she could win against him. She knew Wesker wanted Chris dead. Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of never seeing him again. He was a good honest guy, he was always there for her, and she just sold his life away.  
  
"I'm sorry Chris." She whispered to herself. "Please forgive me."  
  
Rebecca was about to unlock her car door, when a big flame of fire flew towards her and landed on the ground next to her car. She jumped back and landed on the ground. She looked up to see a blonde man in his late twenties or early thirties standing on a landing above the door to the lobby, with a flame thrower. It was Alfred Ashford.  
  
"You didn't think we'd let you get away so easily, did you, Rebecca?"  
  
He said sarcastically.  
  
Rebecca stood up. "Wesker and I had a deal."  
  
Alfred laughed. "I can tell you're from the Bravo team. Anyone from the Alpha team would know never to trust the enemy."  
  
Alfred fired another shot, but she successfully dodged it once again.  
  
  
  
"Wesker. You're here!" Chris confronted his long time enemy, who was at one point his teammate.  
  
Wesker smiled. "Of course. I own this place. I thought you would have guessed it by now, but I guess you're not as smart as I thought. The name should have given you a big clue. Trebla spelled backwards is Albert." He informed. " I know, I know, it sounds corny, but I wasn't concerned with the name. My big concern was getting you and the others S.T.A.R.S. members up here and finishing you off."  
  
Chris had confronted Wesker many times. He was not afraid of him. "What have you done with Rebecca." He demanded.  
  
Wesker grinned. "She was working with me the whole time. Alfred Ashford is taking care of her right now,"  
  
Chris shook his head as Albert continued. "Just as he took care of Jill. I hope she and Carlos enjoyed their little present."  
  
So, It was Wesker who tried to kill Jill. Chris decided it was time to make his move. He pulled out his knife and charged at Wesker. Wesker put up his hand to block. The two men struggled. Wesker was determined to get rid of the man who had messed up his plans many times. Chris wanted the same for Wesker. Eventually Albert overpowered Chris and knocked the knife out of his hand.  
  
  
  
Lt. Mikhail was on his way to the hotel, this was it; their master plan was taking shape, when his cell phone rang.  
  
"Hello." He answered  
  
"Lt. Mikhail, It's me" a familiar voice was on the line. It couldn't be who he thought, could it?  
  
Mikhail's face turned pale white. "Carlos, you're still alive?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know," Jill said. "I fell asleep, so I didn't see anyone."  
  
"I'm just glad you and Carlos are ok." Barry said. He didn't want Jill to feel guilty. "We have to find out what's going on. Something's not right here."  
  
At that moment Carlos hung up the phone. He was in the lobby along with Jill and Barry. They were sitting on some chairs in the corner while Carlos was at the front desk. He walked over towards them.  
  
"Jill," he began. "We have to talk. I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you."  
  
Jill and Barry looked at him earnestly.  
  
He continued. "I just found out it was Mikhail who planned to kill us. The one guy he is working with was formally with Umbrella. This hotel was all a setup, to lure and kill S.T.A.R.S. members. I knew you were all being brought up here. Mikhail said I would get to see you again." He looked at Jill. "And that no harm would come to you. So I cooperated. I gave him the keys so no one could leave. I didn't know they were going to plant a bomb when we went up." He put his head down. "All this time I was a little pawn in their game. I'm sorry Jill. You weren't supposed to get hurt."  
  
"What about the rest of us?" Barry demanded.  
  
Carlos didn't answer. He didn't have to. Barry already knew the answer to that question. "Chris was right about this guy." He concluded.  
  
Jill didn't know what to say. She thought Carlos was her friend, but this whole time he was plotting against her teammates. Was he really on her side? Or was he lying now too? She was so confused.  
  
Just then, Leon Kennedy entered the room.  
  
"Jill!" He called, running over to her. "Claire told me what happened. Are you guys alright?"  
  
Jill nodded.  
  
"This guy was plotting against us the whole time." Barry informed.  
  
"What?" Leon was shocked.  
  
"Barry!" Jill cut in. A gut feeling told her that Carlos was really on her side. She had learned always to trust her gut feeling. "It's not his fault. Mikhail was controlling him. Just like the time Wesker blackmailed you. You know how powerful Umbrella's influence is."  
  
"And this guy works for Umbrella." Barry angrily pointed out. "He's probably lying to you right now Jill. He doesn't care about you." At first Barry ignored the fact that Carlos worked for the U.B.C.S., a part of Umbrella. He gave him a fair chance and thought he was a decent guy, but now that he was plotting to kill the S.T.A.R.S this whole time, his mind had changed.  
  
Jill looked at Carlos and frowned. She hoped Barry was wrong. This is why she promised herself never to fall in love. Once you think you know a person, they can easily turn you on.  
  
Their little confrontation was interrupted when Claire and Steve ran in.  
  
"Jill, Barry," Claire called out  
  
Jill turned around "Claire, what's wrong?"  
  
"We found out who the other two guys working with Carlos are. Albert Wesker, and Alfred Ashford."  
  
"Albert Wesker." Barry repeated. "Are you sure"  
  
Claire nodded. "He's the one in charge of this whole thing." Steve saw his name in the computer."  
  
"Claire, You and Steve know each other?" Leon asked.  
  
"Yeah," Claire answered. "We met on an Island when I went looking for Chris. It's really a long story."  
  
"How did you find Wesker's name? Are you in on this whole plot too?" Barry interrupted, after finding out about Carlos, he wasn't sure who to trust anymore.  
  
" I'm just good with computers. I just started playing with the computer in the lobby and I came across some classified files." Explained Steve.  
  
Barry looked at him suspiciously.  
  
"He's on our side." Claire assured.  
  
Everyone looked at her. They trusted she was right.  
  
"Did you find Sherry?" Leon asked.  
  
"Yes," Claire frowned. "But, we're too late."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Jill asked with a concerned look on her face.  
  
"Albert Wesker got to her first. He must have injected her with some form of the G-Virus. She mutated right in front of me." She put her head down as tears began to well up.  
  
Leon walked over and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry." He comforted her. "It's not your fault."  
  
Steve started looking around the room. He felt awkward. He knew that these two were more than just friends now, thanks to his advice. Steve wondered if he never gave Leon that advice, would him and Claire be together? Would she be crying on his shoulder right now?  
  
"Uh.what did you say was the name of the other guy?" Barry inquired.  
  
"Alfred Ashford." Claire looked up.  
  
"He's really dangerous. I thought we saw the last of that cross dressing freak, but I guess he's still alive." Steve chimed in.  
  
  
  
"You're a fool for thinking you could beat me." Wesker laughed, looking at Chris. "I'm going to enjoy this more than anything." He reached for the trigger.  
  
  
  
"We have to tell Chris." Claire cried. She looked around. "Where is he?"  
  
At that moment a loud shot was heard.  
  
  
  
Chris dodged the bullet. He tried to get up and run away, but Mikhail came from behind and shot a tranquilizer at Chris. Chris moaned and then passed out.  
  
  
  
The sound of the gun startled everyone.  
  
"Chris!" Claire shouted. She knew her brother was in trouble.  
  
"It sounds like it came from upstairs." Leon concluded.  
  
"C'mon!" Jill ordered. "Let's go check it out!"  
  
  
  
Jill, Barry, Carlos, Steve, Claire, and Leon had all made their way to the second floor.  
  
"Look for anything suspicious." Jill took control.  
  
" When was the last time anyone saw him?" Leon asked.  
  
"Check in his room?" Carlos suggested.  
  
"I saw him with Rebecca earlier this afternoon." Barry informed.  
  
Claire was standing in front of Chris room, when she noticed the sign on Rebecca's door.  
  
"Do not disturb?" Claire read aloud. "Hey guys, check this out!"  
  
Leon and Steve ran over to her. The others followed.  
  
"Something's not right." Claire said. "Why would?" She knew Chris was practically in love with Jill. He couldn't have fallen in love with Rebecca all of a sudden. She didn't know this was just part of Wesker's plan to keep them away.  
  
Claire tried to open the door. "It's locked."  
  
"That's alright." Jill smiled as she walked up to the door. "Leave it to the master."  
  
The door was now unlocked. They all walked in. The room was empty. Claire looked down to see a knife on the floor. "Look!" she picked it up. "It's Chris'!"  
  
"He was definitely in here." Leon said.  
  
"Uh, there's something I forgot to tell you guys." Carlos recalled. "Rebecca was working with us."  
  
"What?" Barry was in shock.  
  
"Mikhail said she would be useful in trapping Chris, so Wesker kinda blackmailed her."  
  
"I can't believe It!" Barry yelled angrily. He turned to Carlos. "Why didn't you say something before?"  
  
"I- I" Carlos just stuttered.  
  
"Hey guys!" Jill called from over in the kitchen. "I found something!"  
  
Carlos, Barry, and the rest ran into the kitchen.  
  
"It's a hidden door. Perhaps Chris went down here." Jill suggested.  
  
Screeches were heard outside. Claire went back in the bedroom to look out the window.  
  
"Uh-oh. There's a whole bunch of hunters." She announced.  
  
"Alright!" Barry took charge. "You, Leon and Steve go take care of them." He said looking at Claire. "Jill, Carlos and I will go through this door and look for Chris."  
  
  
  
"You can't escape, Rebecca." Alfred Ashford laughed his corny, girlish laugh. He was having fun with the flamethrower. He had Rebecca trapped in a circle of fire. "S.T.A.R.S. is going down!"  
  
The flames were growing closer and closer to Rebecca. The smoke was making it harder for her to breathe. She knew there was no escape.  
  
Jill, Barry, and Carlos had just entered the parking lot through the secret stairway. Once inside they noticed the huge fire surrounding Rebecca and Alfred Ashford, the guy Claire and Steve told them about.  
  
"We have to do something." Jill begged. "Rebecca's in trouble."  
  
Carlos looked up at Alfred. "I'm going after him." He announced.  
  
"Carlos, no! It's too dangerous!" Jill screamed, as he was running off.  
  
"This is all my fault." Carlos argued. "I have to fix it!"  
  
"Be careful." Jill called, but he was out of sight.  
  
Alfred Ashford stood on the balcony laughing, when unexpectedly the flamethrower was kicked out of his hands. He turned around to see Carlos Oliveira standing there.  
  
"Carlos?" Alfred said with surprise. "I thought you were dead."  
  
"Think again." Carlos laughed.  
  
Alfred tried to push Carlos off the rail. The two men struggled for a moment until Carlos flipped over the rail. Luckily, he was holding on to it.  
  
As he was hanging he looked around the parking lot. He saw the fire getting closer and closer to Rebecca. Luckily, he noticed a fire extinguisher over by the front entrance. "Jill, Barry," he called out to them. "There's a fire extinguisher over by the front entrance."  
  
Jill looked up to see Carlos hanging. She then looked over to see what he was talking about. She started to run across the parking lot, trying not to get caught in the midst of fire and smoke.  
  
"Not so fast, Deary!" Alfred called picking up his flamethrower off the ground and firing at Jill.  
  
"Jill, watch out!" Carlos warned.  
  
Jill jumped back right as the flame was about to hit her. It landed just two feet away.  
  
Barry rushed over. "Jill, are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
Alfred stood there laughing. He fired a flame at Jill and Barry. It landed on the other side of them. Just like Rebecca, they were trapped.  
  
  
  
Leon fired three last shots at the hunter. It screamed as it fell to the ground. He then looked over at Claire and Steve. They were both busy destroying two other hunters. Luckily, Claire found her gun. One hit Steve and he flew against the wall.  
  
The hunter held up his claw, about to hit Steve when it was shot down with a machine gun. When the hunter fell down. Steve could see Leon standing there.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Leon helped him up. "No problem."  
  
Claire ran over to them, just as she had finished off the last hunter.  
  
"C'mon!" Leon commanded. "Let's go find the others."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Said a strange voice.  
  
Steve, Claire, and Leon turned around to see Lt. Mikhail standing there, blocking the stairway.  
  
  
  
Carlos was still hanging. Rebecca could no longer be seen. However, he could still see the flames creeping up on Jill and Barry. He looked over to the front of the parking lot, where the extinguisher was. He then looked at Alfred who was laughing and talking to himself about how great he was. Carlos figured this was his chance. He let go of the rail and fell to ground. The fall hurt, but he knew he had to get up.  
  
He weakly got to his feet, and made a run across the parking lot. He grabbed the fire extinguisher off of the wall and started running towards Jill and Barry. There was a big bush of flames in front of them. "Here goes." He said to himself as he started putting out the fire around them. The fire started to die down. Soon all that was left between Carlos and his two friends was a cloud of smoke.  
  
"Carlos!" Jill ran threw the smoke and threw her arms around him. She knew he would come threw.  
  
Barry looked up to where Alfred was and noticed he was gone. "Hey! Where did Alfred go?" he asked.  
  
Carlos looked up. "He's gone!"  
  
Barry walked over to Carlos. "Thanks"  
  
"Don't mention it." Carlos smiled. He was just glad that there were no more hard feelings between him and Barry.  
  
Jill looked over at the big fire in the center and noticed Rebecca was still in trouble. "Rebecca!"  
  
Jill grabbed the fire extinguisher out of Carlos' hand. She shook it to see if there was any fluid left. She hoped there was enough left to save their friend. She then ran over to the fire, and started spraying the extinguisher killing the fire. An unconscious Rebecca lie bruised and burnt in the center of all the smoke.  
  
  
  
Leon, Claire, and Steve stood there frozen. None of them knew what to do. How could they get passed Mikhail?  
  
"Drop your weapons!" he ordered.  
  
The three of them looked at each other, then dropped their guns that were in their hands off the rail.  
  
"All of them!" Mikhail commanded.  
  
They all looked at each other with fear.  
  
"That is all of them." Claire lied. Her voice in a high tone.  
  
"Don't get smart with me!" Mikhail yelled. The old Mikhail, never would have acted that way towards a lady, but Albert Wesker had changed his life. He fired his gun at Claire. The bullet hit her in the arm. She screamed as she fell back.  
  
"Claire!" Leon and Steve both ran over to see if she was all right. She was bleeding pretty badly.  
  
"Which one of you is next?" Mikhail laughed.  
  
All of a sudden, The Sherry Tyrant jumped off the roof and landed behind him. She put her claw threw him and lifted him off the ground.  
  
"Aahhh!" he screamed with agony, as his blood gushed out.  
  
Sherry flicked her arm and Mikhail flew off into the pool. Something fell out of his pocket. Sherry then looked at Steve, Leon, and Claire. She started to walk towards them.  
  
"This is why you never drop all your weapons." Steve said pulling out an Uzi. He started firing at Sherry. "You get Claire out of here. I'll take care of the monster." He shouted to Leon.  
  
Leon quickly helped up Claire and they ran off.  
  
  
  
"Is she dead?" Jill asked nervously.  
  
"I think I'm getting a pulse." Barry replied.  
  
"C'mon, Rebecca." Jill pleaded. Rebecca was a good friend. She didn't want to loose her. So what if she was helping Wesker. Jill knew there must have been a reason. Wesker was good at controlling people. And Rebecca was an easy target for him to control.  
  
"Anybody got a first aid spray?" Carlos asked.  
  
"We have to get her somewhere safe?" Jill said.  
  
Barry picked up Rebecca and they walked off.  
  
  
  
Steve continued to fire, as the Tyrant chased after him, getting closer and closer. "C'mon." Steve complained. "Why can't these things die when you want them to?"  
  
  
  
"Ouch!" Claire moaned under her breath. She didn't want to show she was in pain.  
  
"Just hold still." Leon said. "I almost got the bullet out. Where's Rebecca when you need her?"  
  
Leon had taken Claire to his room. Luckily, there was a first aid kit in the cabinet. "I got it!" Leon said holding up the bullet. "Now lets patch that up." He reached over for the bandages, when his radio beeped.  
  
"Come in." Leon said talking into the radio.  
  
"Leon. It's Jill. How are things going?"  
  
"Ok. Mikhail's dead."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Sherry Tyrant killed him. Steve's fighting her right now. Did you find Chris?"  
  
"No, but we found Rebecca. She was severely injured. We're not sure if she's gonna make it."  
  
"Ok." Leon was taking control. " Leave Rebecca somewhere safe, then, see if Carlos knows of anywhere Wesker could have taken Chris. Look around for him, and then get back to me if you find anything."  
  
"Ok. Jill out."  
  
"Leon out."  
  
  
  
Steve kept firing. He stopped to reload ammo when the monster came up and hit him, knocking him into a wall. Steve had let go of his gun. He could feel the monster getting closer and closer. The knock to the wall really hurt his head. Steve could feel himself drifting into unconsciousness. He knew he wouldn't be able to get himself out of this one.  
  
Just then, Steve heard the shots of a bow gun being fired. The monster screamed, then fell to the ground.  
  
The person with the bow gun walked over to see if Steve was ok, but he was unconscious.  
  
  
  
Claire was on her way back to the second floor to check up with Steve. Leon was right behind her. However, when they got there, it was deserted.  
  
"Both Steve and Sherry are gone." Claire frowned.  
  
Leon started walking around on the blood-covered floor. He looked down. About six inches away from a puddle of Mikhail's blood was a yellow card. He picked it up and examined it. It read Trebla. On the other side was a barcode.  
  
"Claire!" Leon called. "Come look at this!" She rushed over to him. "Mikhail must have dropped this." He concluded, handing her the card  
  
"What's this for?" she asked. "I didn't see any doors with Card readers."  
  
  
  
Steve woke upon a bed in one of the hotel rooms. It wasn't his. "Huh? Where am I?" He looked up to see a burned and bruised twenty- year- old woman sitting on a chair next to the bed. "Who are you?"  
  
The woman smiled. "I'm Rebecca Chambers. I'm the medic for S.T.A.R.S."  
  
Steve sat up, and backed against the bed. "You're working with Wesker. What have you done with Chris?"  
  
"Calm down kid. Wesker has him. I'm not working with Wesker, not anymore." She frowned, feeling bad for letting herself be taken in by him. "And anyway, how do u know about all this?"  
  
"I'm a friend of Claire's. My name's Steve." He stood up "Ouch!" he put his hands on his head.  
  
"You better sit down. That's quite a bump you have on your head." Rebecca advised.  
  
Steve lay back down. Rebecca put an ice pack on his head. "So, do you know where Wesker took him?" he asked.  
  
Rebecca frowned and shook her head. "We have to find him."  
  
  
  
"Are we going to kill him now? Alfred Ashford laughed. He knew Albert Wesker wanted Redfield dead even more than he did.  
  
"No," Wesker smiled. "I'm going to wait and capture Jill and Barry first. They can watch him die."  
  
"What about the others?"  
  
"Sherry will take care of them."  
  
  
  
"We should all stay together." Barry advised. "We have an advantage, with Carlos' knowledge of the hotel, and Jill, the master of unlocking, were sure to find Chris."  
  
"But Carlos only knows a little about this place." Jill pointed out.  
  
"Better than nothing." Barry added.  
  
"Where do we start?" Asked Jill.  
  
"Only two people had rooms on the third floor." Barry concluded. "Lets start there."  
  
On their way up, they ran into Leon and Claire.  
  
"You guys seen Steve?" Claire asked.  
  
The three just shook their heads.  
  
"You guys find anything?" Jill asked.  
  
"Yeah." Leon pulled the card out of his pocket and handed it to Jill.  
  
"What is this for?" She asked.  
  
"Were not sure." Leon received the card back and put it back into his pocket. "That's what we're trying to figure out."  
  
"Were going up to the third floor to search for Chris." Said Carlos.  
  
"All right!" Shouted Leon. He looked at Jill and Barry. "Radio me if you find anything."  
  
The groups continued on their separate ways.  
  
  
  
"There's so many rooms." Jill said.  
  
At that moment, Lickers started to drop from the roof. One was about to attack Jill.  
  
"Jill, look out!" Barry shouted.  
  
Jill turned around and aimed her Beretta at the licker. After a few shots it was dead, but there was still at least seven more. Jill and the others looked around. There was nowhere to run. They were surrounded.  
  
  
  
"I'm telling you, Wesker has all these files secure. You're not gonna be able to find anything." Rebecca argued.  
  
Steve sat behind the computer in the lobby. "It's worth a shot." He was clicking buttons and going through files. "C'mon there's gotta be something on where he's taken Chris."  
  
"Hurry up." Rebecca cried. "They're probably looking around for us."  
  
"I found something." Steve smiled with excitement. "There's some kind of Cell block. It's behind a hidden door in the parking lot, but you need some kind of key card to open it."  
  
"I was in the parking lot. I don't remember Seeing Wesker and Chris there." Rebecca argued.  
  
"Well, this is the only cell block mentioned."  
  
"That's probably why that Alfred guy was there" Rebecca concluded "to distract me."  
  
"And to kill you." Steve added. He continued searching computer files as he spoke. "Hey, wait a minute." He stumbled upon another secret file. "Self destruct sequence?" He began reading aloud. Rebecca moved closer to him. "It says here, once the cell door is released, a self destruct bomb will be set."  
  
Rebecca heard footsteps. She looked up nervously. "Did you hear that?"  
  
Steve looked up. He sat silently to listen. He too heard the footsteps. "Someone's coming." He grabbed Rebecca's arm. "C'mon. We gotta get out of here."  
  
  
  
Carlos, Barry, and Jill aimed their guns.  
  
"Lets get rid of these things once and for all." Barry yelled. He pulled out a Bazooka that he had luckily brought with him and fired at the lickers to his right, killing them. He did the same to the ones on the left. He looked around to see all the dead lickers. "Now that they're all out of our way, we can find Chris and get out of here."  
  
"Think again, Barry!" Wesker called from on top of the roof.  
  
"Barry, Carlos, and Jill turned around.  
  
"Did you miss me?" Wesker laughed.  
  
"What have you done with Chris?" Jill demanded.  
  
"Oh, Jill," Wesker put on a fake frown. "Stop worrying. You will all be joining him very soon." He then looked over at Carlos. "It's too bad you're not working with me anymore."  
  
"I was working for Mikhail" Snapped Carlos.  
  
"And Mikhail was working with me, my partner. But now he's dead. And I could use another partner." He smiled slyly as he tried to persuade Carlos to join him.  
  
"Forget it!" Carlos said firmly. "I'm on Jill's side!"  
  
"Well I got the perfect solution to that!" Wesker snarled. He aimed his sniped. A red dot appeared on Jill's forehead.  
  
Carlos happened to look at Wesker. He saw him aiming. He then looked at Jill and saw the red dot.  
  
Wesker was about to pull the trigger.  
  
"Jill, no!" Carlos jumped in front of her. The bullet hit his stomach. He fell to the ground and began to bleed.  
  
"No, Carlos!" Jill cried. She ran over to him.  
  
Barry looked up. Albert Wesker was gone.  
  
Carlos touched the wound. His hand was covered with blood.  
  
Jill knelt down beside him.  
  
"Jill," he said with pain.  
  
"Carlos, I'm so sorry." She frowned. A feeling of guilt came upon her.  
  
"It's not your fault." He reassured her.  
  
Their moment was interrupted by Barry. "Jill, I'm going to try to find Chris. You go get something to patch up Carlos." With those words, he was gone.  
  
Jill was about to get up, when Carlos stopped her. "Jill, I just want to let you know, that I'll always be on your side, and I would never let anything happen to you."  
  
Jill smiled hearing those words. She let go of her doubts about Carlos. She reached down, and held his hand for a second, then took off.  
  
  
  
Steve and Rebecca were hiding behind a wall. Steve was looking out to see who was coming. Alfred Ashford entered the lobby. He looked at the computer. "Someone was in our files." He knew it was Steve, he also knew he was still there. "There's no use hiding. I know you're here, Steve" He held up his sniper and looked around.  
  
Steve looked out. His heart pounded.  
  
Alfred saw something moving over in the shadows of the dark corner. He aimed his sniper. A red dot suddenly appeared on Rebecca's chest. "Watch out!" Steve called. He grabbed Her arm and they jumped out, just as Alfred pulled the trigger. They landed on the floor.  
  
Alfred walked over and looked at Rebecca. "What? How could you have survived?"  
  
"I was wondering the same about you!" Steve chimed in.  
  
Alfred looked at him. He started to walk over to the boy, who was still lying on the ground, and pointed his sniper at him. "You didn't think a novice like you could have enough skill to get rid of me?" He laughed. "And besides, if it wasn't for me and Albert, you wouldn't be here!"  
  
"What?" Steve asked with astonishment.  
  
"Well, who do you think brought you out of the palace. We knew alive you may be useful to us. But somehow you got away, before we could find you again. However, I knew you'd come here looking for Claire. You lived for her." He aimed his gun at him. "And now that she has someone else, there's no reason for you to live."  
  
Alfred was about to pull the trigger, when his arm was shot. The gun flew out of his hands and onto the ground. He looked up to see Barry standing at the top of the steps with a rifle. He left his bazooka in one of the rooms that he checked It was getting too much for him to carry.  
  
Rebecca ran over to pick up his gun. "Say Goodbye!" she said aiming the gun at him.  
  
"Goodbye!" Wesker laughed as he pulled the trigger of his colt. Rebecca moaned with pain, as the bullet hit her back, knocking her to the ground, to her death.  
  
"Rebecca!" Screamed Steve. He had only known her for such a short time, but she had saved his life, and now she was dead, killed right before his eyes.  
  
"You're next." Wesker smiled.  
  
But once again, Barry came to the rescue, firing shots at Wesker. Wesker returned fire.  
  
"Get out of here kid!" Barry yelled. "I'll take care of them." He felt bad enough for not being able to help Rebecca, he couldn't let another young novice die.  
  
Steve didn't want to end up like Rebecca, so he followed Barry's orders.  
  
Steve was running around looking for Leon and Claire, when he saw a young woman a few feet ahead. He thought for a moment, trying to remember her name.  
  
"Jill," It came back to him.  
  
She turned around to see who it was. "Steve," She said letting out a sigh of relief.  
  
He ran over to her, panting, trying to catch his breath. "I found where Chris is. He's in a cell behind the parking lot."  
  
"We have to get to it." Jill urged. Finally, they were getting somewhere.  
  
"We can't. We need some kind of key card."  
  
"Leon found a yellow card. It said Trebla on it."  
  
"That's probably it." Steve smiled.  
  
"C'mon" Jill grabbed Steve by the arm and was ready to run off. "We have to find him."  
  
  
  
"Do you really think you can kill us, Barry?" Wesker laughed firing a shot at him. Barry hid behind a pillar by the steps on the second floor.  
  
"If I don't someone else will!" He answered.  
  
"Like who?" Wesker fired another shot. "Chris and Jill? Oh, please. Jill only survives because she has people to save her. Without them, she'd be dead. And Chris, even if you find him, you'll all die. A self-destruct bomb will go off.  
  
Alfred was still bleeding from the injury. "You're going to pay for what you've done." He threatened Barry, holding his wounded arm. He fired a shot. Luckily, Barry was still behind the pillar. He took a deep breath. Two against one, the odds were uneven. How would he get out of this one?  
  
Jill and Steve were running up to the third floor. Jill had found some stuff to patch up Carlos and wanted to get to him before they did anything else. She reached the top of the steps. "Carlos!" She called out.  
  
There was no respond.  
  
"Carlos, you ok?" Steve yelled. He and Jill looked around. Jill walked to the spot where she left him. All that was there was a pile of his blood. Carlos was nowhere in sight.  
  
Steve slowly approached a sad Jill. He tapped her arm. "Hey, he's still alive." He tried to console her. He wasn't good at this sort of stuff.  
  
The sad mood was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. "Jill, Steve," A sweet voice called out. They turned around to see Claire running up the steps. Leon was behind her.  
  
Steve ran over to her. "Claire, you're ok!" He smiled.  
  
Claire smiled. "I'm glad you are too."  
  
Leon and Jill approached them from opposite directions.  
  
"Leon," Steve began. "Jill said you found some kind of card. You still got it?"  
  
"Yeah." Leon assured him. He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Steve.  
  
"Do you know what it's for?" Claire asked.  
  
"Rebecca and I got into the secret computer files," He started.  
  
"Rebecca?" Jill's eyes lit up. "She's ok?"  
  
"She was." Steve corrected. "Until Wesker got to her. He frowned. The others knew what he meant. Jill closed her eyes, a tear began to well up, Over the past few years, she Rebecca and Claire became pretty close. She should have stayed with Rebecca, and been there for her. She should have known Wesker would have got to her. Anger rose in Jill, Wesker was going to pay. After a long moment of silence, Steve continued. "Anyway, we found out that Chris is being held in a cell behind the parking lot, but you need a card to open the door." He held up the card. "Which is this baby."  
  
"Well then, let's go get Chris." Cried Claire.  
  
"Wait." Steve said. "There's more to it." Steve explained the self- destruct bomb to them.  
  
"So, we just have to make sure we have enough time to get out of here." Jill concluded. "So we should find Barry and Carlos first."  
  
"Barry's down fighting Alfred and Wesker in the lobby. If it wasn't for him, I'd be a goner." Informed Steve.  
  
Leon loaded his pistol. "Alright!" All eyes were on him. "You guys go get Chris. I'll go down and Help Barry."  
  
The other three looked at each other and nodded as Leon departed.  
  
"Be careful!" Claire warned.  
  
"C'mon." Jill urged.  
  
They started to run off.  
  
Suddenly, a big dark shadow was cast upon them. The Sherry Tyrant jumped down in front of them. They all backed up.  
  
"Is that," Jill paused. "Sherry?"  
  
"You guy's go got Chris. I'll take care of her." Claire ordered she had with her a shotgun that she had gotten from Leon.  
  
"But Claire," Steve argued.  
  
"Just go!"  
  
Jill and Steve took off, leaving Claire to fight alone.  
  
  
  
"C'mon, Barry!" Alfred called. "You scared to fight?"  
  
Barry made up his mind. He knew he had to make a move. He loaded his gun a whirled out from behind the pillar and fired at Alfred.  
  
Alfred didn't return fire. Instead, Wesker shot at him. Barry ducked so the bullets would miss. He got up and started to run down the steps, he jumped at halfway. Barry landed on his stomach. When he was able to get up, Albert Wesker, and a bloody Alfred stood in front of him.  
  
Alfred had been shot quite a few times, and was loosing alot of blood.  
  
"I'm so sorry it had to end this way." Wesker smiled. He and Alfred pointed their guns at him. Wesker was ready to pull the trigger when a pistol bullet hit his arm.  
  
Leon Kennedy was standing at the top of the stairs. Wesker whirled around and returned three shots. They missed. Leon hopped over the railing and landed feet first on top of the clerk's desk. He looked at Barry, who gave him a signal to take care of Wesker.  
  
Leon ran towards the side door and disappeared. Wesker followed.  
  
This gave Barry the chance to finish off Alfred. Alfred raised his gun back up to Barry. He acted like he was going to shoot him, when with great speed, he moved his sniper down, and whacked Barry in the stomach. Barry flew back an inch and fell to the ground.  
  
Barry was coughing up air. Alfred had knocked the wind out of him, which made it hard for him to breathe. Alfred walked over towards him.  
  
"I'm sorry your young friend didn't stick around." He laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure Wesker will take good care of him." Alfred once again pointed his sniper at Barry.  
  
Barry looked down at Alfred's feet. They were close to his. This gave Barry and Idea.  
  
"Bye, Bye, Barry!" Alfred chuckled. His finger was on the trigger. With Great timing, Barry moved his leg and tripped Alfred. As he fired, the bullet hit the roof. Barry rolled over a few inches and then got up. He grabbed the rifle before it hit the ground.  
  
Alfred didn't get up. He saw Barry grab his gun. He started to get up, when he noticed a tiny red dot on his stomach. He looked up to see Barry aiming the sniper rifle at him.  
  
"No!" Alfred called out just as Barry pulled the trigger. Alfred flew back as soon as the bullet hit him. His lifeless body lay stiff on the ground. Barry walked over to his body. He aimed the gun at his head. He put his finger on the trigger. He had to make sure Alfred was dead. He squeezed the trigger. A loud shot was heard.  
  
  
  
Shotgun shells were hitting Sherry. She stumbled back a few steps, but kept going. She was getting closer and closer to Claire, who was running out of shells.  
  
Claire kept backing up, so the monster wouldn't get her. She bumped up against a hotel room door. She turned around and tried to open it, but it was locked. The floor shook as Sherry's big feet hit the ground. Claire started pushing her body against the door, hurting her wounded arm. After the fourth thrust, the door opened. She ran inside and immediately shut the door.  
  
The room was small. Claire began searching the room hoping to find some ammo. The room started to shake, as Sherry got closer. A picture on the wall fell down, and the glass shattered.  
  
A cabinet against the back wall caught Claire's eye. She rushed over and tore open all the doors. Luckily, Claire found a box of shells. "Alright!" She smiled. She found ammo just in time. Just then, the door was kicked open.  
  
  
  
Leon was in the game room, hiding behind the pool table. The door slowly opened. Leon could hear footsteps.  
  
"I know you're here, Leon!" Captain Wesker snarled. He walked around the room. Leon knew it was stupid to lure him in the game room, but it was the only way to help Barry without endangering both of their lives. "You've decided to play with the Wrong man. Wesker boasted. "I'm much too smart for your little games."  
  
Leon had one bullet left. Hiding, he could see Wesker's legs. He figured if he shot him, it might slow him down, giving him a chance to escape. It was worth a try.  
  
Leon picked up his pistol. Wesker was looking around for Leon, when he was shot in the leg. "Ouch." He screamed. "Damn it!" He leaned over with pain and grabbed his leg.  
  
He saw Leon get up and start to run. Wesker wasn't going to let him get away. He fired a shot. It missed Leon, hitting the dartboard instead. Wesker fired again. This time he didn't miss. He hit Leon in his side.  
  
Leon moaned as his fell to the floor.  
  
  
  
Jill and Steve were making their way to the parking lot. They decided to take the secret stairway from Chris's room. They silently crept down the steps and opened the door.  
  
The fire had cleared up. Smoke still filled the air. Surprisingly their vehicles had survived. A couple of scratches here and there, but at least they hadn't perished from the fire.  
  
Steve quickly eyed the room. "We have to find that door." He exclaimed. He ran to the back of the parking lot.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Jill asked.  
  
Steve didn't. "This is too easy." He whispered.  
  
But Steve spoke too soon. Just then, zombies started to get up and come out from behind cars. Steve quickly turned around and shot at one in front of him. Another one came from behind and grabbed him. He couldn't break free.  
  
Jill was shooting tow zombies that where a short distance away, when she heard Steve call her name. She turned around to see him being attacked. She quickly reloaded her clip and aimed her gun.  
  
She shot the one that had attacked him from behind, blowing off its head, then the one in front. Jill ran over to Steve. "You ok?"  
  
" I think I found the cell."  
  
  
  
Chris Redfield was sitting against the wall in the cell. It had been ten minutes since he regained consciousness, but he was still overcome with dizziness. He suddenly heard the sound of Jill's voice. "I must be hallucinating." He mumbled.  
  
"Chris!"  
  
He could hear her calling his name.  
  
"Chris, are you in there?"  
  
It was Jill.  
  
"Jill!" He called back.  
  
"Hang on. We're gonna get you out!"  
  
Steve pulled out the yellow Trebla card. There was a barcode reader right next to the door. He ran the card through the slot. A beep was heard. The metal door slowly began to lift.  
  
When the door was completely lifted up, Chris Redfield stood on the other side.  
  
"Chris!" Jill cried. She ran up to him, giving him a big hug. "I'm so glad you're safe."  
  
Chris returned the hug. It felt good to have Jill back in his arms again, even though he knew it wouldn't last.  
  
"Where's Rebecca?" Chris asked as Jill pulled away. Chris wondered what happened to her.  
  
"I'm sorry. She's gone." Answered the red haired young man.  
  
Chris frowned. She led had led him into a trap, but it wasn't her fault. It was Wesker's fault. She was innocently being used, and now she was dead. Chris looked back at the boy who had delivered the bad news. "You must be Steve." He concluded.  
  
For a moment Steve wondered how he could have known who he was. Then it dawned on him. Claire. Chris was her brother, she probably told him everything, Including about him.  
  
"So, you're the famous Chris Redfield." He joked back.  
  
Their introduction was interrupted by a computerized voice, delivering a message throughout the hotel. " Self destruct system has been activated. Ten minutes until detonation."  
  
  
  
Sherry Tyrant stood in the doorway. There was no way Claire could get passed the monster and out the door, and she knew this room was probably too small for battle. She needed space to maneuver.  
  
"Ten minutes until detonation."  
  
Claire looked up at the speaker delivering the message. Right under the ceiling, next to the speaker, there was an opened window. Boxes were piled beneath it.  
  
Before the Tyrant could move, Claire ran to the boxes, quickly climbed up, and threw herself out the window. She flew through the air, and landed on the roof of the game room. Broken glass scattered all around her. Blood dripped from tiny cuts on her skin.  
  
Claire looked up, the wall started to shake. The wood was starting to crack from a pounding pressure. Debris started to fall. The cracks in the wall grew bigger and bigger. Within seconds, Sherry Tyrant had ripped through the wall, and landed on the roof.  
  
  
  
"Seven minutes until detonation."  
  
"We have to find Barry, Leon and Carlos." Steve said. He Jill and Chris were now gathered on the third floor.  
  
"I'll radio Leon." Jill offered.  
  
"What about Claire?" Chris asked as Jill was holding the radio trying to reach their friend.  
  
"She's fighting Sherry." Steve informed. "Well, It was Sherry."  
  
"What? Sherry?" Chris asked.  
  
"Albert Wesker injected her with a virus, turning her into a Tyrant." Steve frowned.  
  
"Damn it!" Chris cursed angrily. Another innocent life taken away by Wesker.  
  
"Guys!" Jill cried.  
  
"I can't get a hold of Leon. Something must be wrong!"  
  
Chris took charge. "Let's all split up and look for the others. Go as quickly as you can, and meet in the lobby in four minutes."  
  
Jill and Steve nodded, and the three of them took off in separate directions.  
  
  
  
Jill was quickly running down the second floor hallway. She was really hoping to find Carlos. She didn't want to leave without him. Sure, he had brought them all up here and intended to harm her best friends, but she still cared about him. She knew he was really a good guy.  
  
Jill was too busy thinking to see where she was going. She bumped right into a forty year old man. He was big and buff. It's a wonder she didn't see him.  
  
She stepped back and looked up. "Barry!" she smiled with relief. "I'm so glad I found you.  
  
  
  
Steve was on the third floor hoping to find a member of the group that he just became part of. He had checked all the empty rooms except the one next to his. He slowly turned the knob. As the door opened, out popped a licker. Steve backed up and shot at it. It jolted back as blood gushed out. Steve fell back. As he hit the ground, the yellow Trebla card unknowingly fell out of his pocket.  
  
Steve started firing again, not stopping until it was dead. Once it was,  
  
He got up and started running. "Hopefully Jill and Chris had better luck with their search"  
  
As Steve disappeared, the card sat on the ground in dead silence. The silence was soon broken by the sound of footsteps. The person walking stopped right in front of the card. A dark masculine hand picked up the card.  
  
  
  
Claire slowly got to her feet. She shot at the monster. The shells didn't hurt her that much. Sherry walked over to her and held up her claw. She was ready to slash Claire, luckily Claire moved out of the way, and the claw hit the floor, collapsing in the roof of the game room. There was now a big hole in the center, making an obstacle for Claire.  
  
  
  
"Five minutes until detonation."  
  
Chris was on the third floor, hoping to find his buddy, Leon. It would be really great if Leon went out with his sister. Chris always thought he was perfect for her. He didn't have anything against Steve either. If it weren't for Steve, he'd still be locked up in that cell. Hopefully Jill or Steve found Barry. He was a big guy who knew how to take care of himself. He didn't really have to worry about him that much. He also hoped Claire was ok, wherever she was. He had to find her, too.  
  
However, Chris wasn't too concerned about finding Carlos. He didn't like that guy from the beginning, his deceiving smile, and that phony accent. Chris wondered, was he really deceiving Jill? Or does he really care about her? Chris knew he really did, and that's what he hated the most, aside from the fact that she liked him too. Chris didn't really care whether Carlos lived or died. He just didn't want to see Jill upset.  
  
Chris' train of thought was interrupted by a voice.  
  
"So you've managed to escape, Chris."  
  
Chris turned around. His archenemy Albert Wesker was standing less than ten feet away.  
  
  
  
The shotgun was reloaded. Claire stood there ready to fire. Sherry was stepping closer. Claire fired seven shots at the monster, causing it to stumble back. She was getting weaker and weaker, a few more shots and that would probably be the end.  
  
The monster leaned over, grabbing her wounds. Claire could see the pain in Sherry's eyes. These were once the eyes of an innocent child, her best friend. Claire and Sherry had a lot of fun over the past two years. They were almost like sisters. But now it's coming to an end, all because of that Damn Wesker.  
  
Sherry immediately sprung to her feet. She jumped in front of Claire, and slashed her with her claw. Claire flew back towards the hole. Her gun fell down. Claire would have fallen down too, but she grabbed onto the edge.  
  
The Tyrant stood up and began to walk towards Claire. Claire tried to climb up, but couldn't manage. And besides, she no longer had a weapon. Is this really it?  
  
Steve decided before heading back to the lobby, he'd do some more checking. He was on the third floor looking for ammo. He didn't notice anything suspicious until he looked out the window.  
  
He saw Sherry Tyrant on the roof of the game room. Then he noticed Claire hanging on with her dear life. "I've got to help her."  
  
Steve looked around the room hoping to find something he could use to help her. Finally, over on a small table sat Barry's bazooka that he left behind. "Man talk about luck!"  
  
Steve ran over to the window. It wouldn't open. He was going to use the bazooka to break the window, but when the bazooka went through, broken glass cut his hands forcing him to let go of the powerful weapon.  
  
"Claire!" He shouted.  
  
Claire looked up at the sound of Steve's voice. She saw the bazooka coming towards her. Claire had good reflexes. As the bazooka came closer, Claire held on to the edge tightly with her left hand, and caught the bazooka with her right hand, before it could fall into the hole.  
  
The gun was already loaded. Claire figured this powerful gun would provide the last shot needed to kill the monster. She lifted up the heavy gun with her right arm, still holding on with her left. She aimed the gun one handedly at the monster. She placed her finger on the trigger. This isn't Sherry. The Sherry she knew and cared about was already gone.  
  
"I'm sorry Sherry!" She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.  
  
The monster that was once Sherry shrieked with terror as she fell to the ground, to her death.  
  
The impact of the bazooka had forced Claire to let go of the edge, and knocked her down into the game room. Her fall was broken by a human body. Claire quickly looked at her hand. There was a blood spot, but it wasn't her blood. She pushed her body up to see who it was that broke her fall.  
  
"Leon!" She screamed. Claire immediately got to her feet. She knelt down on the floor beside him. Was he still alive? She rolled him over so she could listen for a heartbeat. She put her ear to his chest.  
  
"Claire," He moaned.  
  
Claire lifted her head to look him in the face. He grabbed her hand.  
  
"Leon, we have to get out of here. This place is gonna explode in a few minutes."  
  
"Cl-Claire, I can't. I'm too weak to get up."  
  
"No." Claire cried. "You have to. I'm not gonna let you die."  
  
"Then you have to find a first aid spray, or an herb or something."  
  
Claire nodded as she got to her feet. "I'll be right back. I promise." With those words, she was gone.  
  
  
  
Jill and Barry were in the lobby. Where is everyone? Jill wondered as she glanced at her watch.  
  
"They'll be here." Barry said. He was used to dealing with this kind of stuff. It was dangerous, but it was his job. A job he was getting to old for. And after Wesker threatened to harm his family, he didn't know why he still did it. He knew it would be a good ten or twelve more years before he would retire.  
  
That moment Steve came running into the lobby.  
  
"Did you find anyone?" Jill asked.  
  
Steve shook his head. "Claire killed the tyrant." He informed. At least there was some good news.  
  
"Where is she now?" Barry asked.  
  
"I don't know. She should be here any second.  
  
  
  
Leon was on the floor trying to keep alive, when he heard the door open, open and close.  
  
"Claire, is that you?"  
  
There was no answer. Only footsteps were heard.  
  
  
  
"Wesker?" Chris said surprised. "Haven't you learned by now, you can't defeat S.T.A.R.S?"  
  
"I thought you would have learned by now, you can't defeat me." Wesker snarled back. "No matter, this should be the last time we'll ever meet, the final battle." He put his finger on the trigger. "See you in Hell, Chris!"  
  
He pulled the trigger. Chris was hit in the shoulder. He fell back. Wesker started to laugh. "The perfect ending."  
  
"It's not over yet, Wesker!"  
  
Captain Wesker turned around to see Jill Valentine standing there.  
  
"Jill?" He smiled. "This is even better. Two S.T.A.R.S. members at once." He aimed his gun at her. He never thought killing Jill would be without an obstacle. This was the part where Chris or Barry would usually jump in and save the day, but Chris was on the ground bleeding, and Barry was nowhere to be seen. "Who will save you now?"  
  
"This!" Jill smiled aiming a colt python at him. Jill closed her eyes she never wanted to have to kill anyone. Thoughts of Rebecca and Sherry filled her mind, and forced her to pull the trigger.  
  
Wesker dropped his gun and flew back, as the bullet hit his stomach.  
  
Jill ran passed Wesker's seemingly lifeless body to help Chris.  
  
Jill knelt down next to Chris. His shoulder was bleeding pretty badly,  
  
"Oh, Chris." She frowned at his pain. "Let me patch that up for you."  
  
Two minutes until detonation.  
  
The computerized voice rang out in the lobby, As Jill and Chris ran down to join Steve and Barry.  
  
"We have to find some way to get out of here." Barry said.  
  
"But not everyone's here yet." Jill protested  
  
"I'm not leaving without my sister." Chris argued.  
  
Everyone was in a state of panic. They were relieved to see Claire entering from the game room carrying a first aid spray.  
  
"Claire." Steve cried. "C'mon we're getting out of here."  
  
She wore a worried look on her face. "No. We can't leave without Leon."  
  
"Where is he?" Barry asked.  
  
"He was injured in the game room. I went to get him a first aid spray, but when I went back, he was gone."  
  
"Carlos is still out there too." Jill informed.  
  
While they were all reverting back to a state of panic, Steve was over by the front door. "We can't get out. There's a steel trap on the door." This only made things worse.  
  
"What do we do?" Claire asked. No one was sure if she was referring to the door being shut, or Leon and Carlos. She herself didn't even know.  
  
"The parking lot!" Barry said, running towards it, trying to knock the door down. If only Carlos hadn't given Mikhail that key.  
  
Chris looked at Jill and Claire. He was just as worried as they were. He never wanted to leave people behind. "We're just gonna have to hope they make it out alive, somehow."  
  
"I got it Barry yelled." The wooden door was knocked to the ground. "C'mon." He ran into the parking garage. The others followed.  
  
"We still have to open the garage door." Chris informed. Next to the door was a barcode reader. "Steve, we need that yellow card?"  
  
Steve frantically searched his pockets. "Oh no! I can't find it. I must have dropped it!" That was it. They were screwed.  
  
"Looking for this?" An accented voice asked from behind.  
  
"Carlos!" Jill smiled as they all turned around.  
  
Carlos walked over to the card reader. His wound had been taken care of. He ran the Trebla card through the barcode reader. The giant garage door began to open, letting in some fresh air.  
  
This building will self-destruct in thirty seconds  
  
The voice rang out.  
  
"What are we waiting for? Let's get out of here!" Carlos ordered.  
  
Carlos ran into Alfred's car. Good thing he had taken the keys from his dead body.  
  
Jill and Barry quickly got in their cars, and were ready to drive out.  
  
"Where's my motorcycle?" Claire asked panicking. She looked around, but it was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Hey Claire," Steve called from on top of his Harley. "Hop on!"  
  
Claire got on and held tightly onto Steve as he started it up.  
  
This building will self-destruct in 10.  
  
Jill and Barry had already left. Chris was in his car and was starting it up. Claire and Steve were ready to drive out. Claire looked back at Chris making sure everything was ok.  
  
"Claire, Steve, go ahead. I'll follow." He called.  
  
Steve nodded and they zoomed off.  
  
Chris got his motor running.  
  
Seven.six.five.  
  
"Let's put this thing into high gear!" Chris put the car up to 100 Mph. "Yeee-Hah!" Chris laughed as he sped out.  
  
Three.two.one.  
  
Kaboom!  
  
The hotel exploded. Debris was flying. The fire had produced a smoke that darkened the whole sky.  
  
Jill and Barry were standing ten miles away watching the disaster, waiting for their comrades to catch up with them. They watched as Chris, Steve, Claire, and Carlos pulled up, one by one.  
  
Chris stepped out of his car and Walked over to his two partners.  
  
"Thank God this is over." Barry said breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
"Yeah." Jill frowned. "If only so much hadn't been lost." Jill wasn't referring to any personal items that they may have brought. Instead, she was talking about their friends that had been lost in this crazy incident.  
  
Chris nodded his head. He couldn't get Rebecca out of his mind. It's all my fault. Wesker used her to get to me. She never wanted to hurt me. She really cared about me, and I wasn't there to help her. Chris closed his eyes and let out a long, sad sigh. Even if she hadn't died from Wesker's bullet, there's no way she could have survived the explosion.  
  
Claire Redfield stepped off of Steve's bike. She could see a tiny blaze of the fire. She had lost so much. She promised to take care of Sherry. She had let down both Sherry, and herself. But that wasn't all. Leon had been a really close friend, and now that they had just gotten closer. Thinking about her lost friends, a tear started to well up in her hey. She tried to hold it back, but she couldn't  
  
"Hey, Everybody." Carlos got everyone's attention. "Look what I managed to save." Carlos was helping someone out of the back seat. It was Leon S. Kennedy.  
  
Everyone was overjoyed to see him. They were so glad he made it out alive, especially Claire.  
  
"Leon!" She ran over and threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad. I thought I lost you."  
  
After a few moments of getting their thoughts and emotions together, Everyone decided it was time to head home.  
  
"It will be good to get back home again." Barry smiled. "This was some vacation."  
  
"Yeah," Chris smiled appreciating Barry's humor. He looked over at Jill and Carlos, her tired head rested on his shoulder. Chris could remember a time when it was his shoulder she had fallen asleep on. "Things just won't be the same."  
  
Steve was standing by his bike staring off into space. Things didn't exactly turn out the way he planned. He hoped to come to Raccoon City, find Claire, and live happily ever after. Now he didn't know what he was going to do or where he was going to go. Steve was brought back to earth when a gentle hand tapped his shoulder, and someone called his name.  
  
He turned around. "Claire?"  
  
"So, what are your plans?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know." He answered. "I'll find something."  
  
"You know, you're welcome to stay with me and Chris. You can always get a job with the R.P.D. They could use a really good guy like you."  
  
Steve looked into her deep blue eyes. This was going to be hard for him. As much as he wanted to stay, he couldn't. He knew if he did, she would be forced to choose between him and Leon. He didn't want her to make that choice. He didn't know whether or not he'd like the outcome. He knew this was what's best.  
  
"Nah, I figured I'd travel a little before I settle somewhere. I like being on the road. And besides R.P.D already has a great guy." He pointed Leon out to her. "And so do you."  
  
A tear started to fall from Claire's eye. Steve had matured so much since they had first met. "I'm going to miss you." She confessed.  
  
Steve gently wiped the tear away. "Hey, We'll cross path's again. You know what they say about three being a magic number. He leaned over and gently kissed her on the cheek. "Goodbye, Claire." He whispered.  
  
Claire returned affection with a hug. "Goodbye, Steve."  
  
Steve got on his motorcycle and put on his helmet. Leon walked up to Claire and put his arm around her.  
  
"You gonna be ok?" He asked.  
  
"I'll be fine." She assured him. She waved to Steve as he drove away.  
  
He took a deep breath and waved back to her. At the same time, Barry was slowly pulling away.  
  
Chris looked over at Jill and Carlos, who were leaning against her car kissing. He sadly shook his head. He just lost the girl of his dreams. It would be hard for him to let go.  
  
Was there anyone who knew how he felt?  
  
Steve Burnside was riding off on the road, not knowing where he was going or what lies up ahead. His heart was aching; he just left behind the one thing he cared about most, pretending it didn't even matter.  
  
"Whoa!" He shrieked. He had just run over something. Something small. It didn't cause him to fall or loose control, but he could feel it. He didn't know or care what it was.  
  
After being run over, a pair of black sunglasses lay cracked and broken in the middle of the road.  
  
  
  
The End  
  
  
  
Jackie Lecher  
  
2000  
  
with the help of  
  
Matt McMorrow 


End file.
